The present invention relates generally to the restoration of make-up from an unusable form to a usable form and pertains, more specifically, to apparatus and method for reclaiming broken pieces of make-up ordinarily supplied in block form by reducing the broken pieces to intermediate particles no larger than a selected mesh size and then compressing the particles into a reconstituted block of prescribed uniformity and dimensions, enabling ready transport and use of the reclaimed make-up.
Personal appearance is an issue which has opened very large markets for the sale of cosmetics, health foods, clothing and other items which enable an individual to make a fashion statement. In particular, cosmetics are selected by an individual on the basis of the image projected through the use of those particular cosmetics and, once having chosen a specific cosmetic, the individual is reluctant to accept a substitute. This is especially true when it comes to the choice of a facial cosmetic, among the more popular of which is make-up ordinarily supplied in block form and carried on the person for frequent use throughout the day. Because such make-up is carried about in purses, in pockets, in automobiles and the like, the cosmetic is subjected to a variety of conditions, such as heat, cold and humidity, as well as to physical abuse from rough handling, whether inadvertent or otherwise, usually depending upon the activities in which an individual is involved during the course of a day.
Make-up which ordinarily is supplied in block form is a finely balanced blend which must meet several critical criteria. The make-up must be moist enough to hold together in a block enabling ready use, but must be dry enough not to shine when applied to the skin of an individual. It must be hard enough not to crumble, yet soft enough to enable easy and smooth application. During the life of a block of such make-up, from the time when a new package is opened until the time when the make-up is fully used up, the block ordinarily is subjected to slamming, jostling, dropping and other physical abuse, as well as being subjected to further adverse conditions such as those outlined above. As a result, the block frequently breaks into fragmented pieces, rendering the make-up unusable long before being expended. Merely discarding these pieces is wasteful and expensive, especially since most consumers will not settle for anything less than an exact replacement for the original product.
Most make-up products of the type which are supplied in block form are prepared by blending selected ingredients into a mixture, and then treating the mixture by methods well-known in the cosmetics industry to form an intermediate process product known as a granulation. The granulation then is compressed to force the granules of the granulation to agglomerate and form a solid, uniformly hardened block. The scale of the production of such cosmetic products is very large, requiring enormous outlays for machinery having the size, speed and power necessary to meet large scale production. Other operations, such as quality control, packaging and further handling of the product all contribute to placing the processing of a block-type make-up cosmetic product well beyond that which can be accomplished in a practical manner by an individual user of such cosmetics. However, the finished block of make-up purchased by an individual consumer does contain all of the necessary ingredients, in all the correct proportions, to form an acceptable product. Hence, all that would be necessary to reclaim usable make-up from unusable broken pieces of such make-up is a reconstituting apparatus and process simple enough and practical enough to be operated and accomplished by the individual.
The present invention provides apparatus and method readily available for use by an individual in reclaiming make-up ordinarily supplied in block form by processing random-sized pieces of broken, unusable make-up into a block of usable make-up. As such, the present invention attains several objects and advantages, some of which are summarized as follows: Provides simplified apparatus and method enabling individual consumers to reclaim pieces of broken, unusable make-up of the type ordinarily supplied in block form with ease and economy; enables the ready processing by individuals of random-sized pieces of such make-up into usable blocks of uniformity and dimensions; enhances economy through salvaging previously unusable make-up for further use; allows greater latitude in the choice available to particular consumers concerned with the high cost of cosmetic products which are prone to becoming unusable when exposed to harmful conditions encountered in the field; provides increased versatility in the use of make-up of the type supplied in block form in that greater variety is made available at more reasonable cost; requires only a minimal outlay for simplified, readily portable apparatus easily operated to conduct an effective process without the necessity for specialized tools and training; promotes the use of block-type make-up through reducing waste and concomitant expense; enables the reliable and effective reclamation of make-up which heretofore has been merely discarded as unusable.
The above objects and advantages, as well as further objects and advantages, are attained by the present invention which may be described briefly as apparatus for reclaiming make-up ordinarily supplied in block form by processing broken, unusable random-sized pieces of such make-up into a block of usable make-up of prescribed consistency, size and configuration, the apparatus comprising: a housing; a compression chamber in the housing, the compression chamber having a first end and a second end, and a peripheral chamber wall extending longitudinally between the first and second ends; a processor including a mesh member having a mesh size selected for reducing the random-sized pieces of make-up to intermediate particles no larger than the mesh size and capable of being agglomerated into the block of usable make-up of prescribed consistency; a processor mount for mounting the mesh member on the housing for selective communication with the compression chamber to pass intermediate particles through the mesh member and into the compression chamber to establish a charge of intermediate particles in the compression chamber, and for selective removal from communication with the compression chamber; a mold member having dimensions corresponding to the prescribed size and configuration of the block of usable make-up; a mold holder for holding the mold member in the housing for selective communication with the compression chamber and for selective removal from communication with the compression chamber; and a ram movable longitudinally into the compression chamber, upon removal of the mesh member from communication with the compression chamber, for compressing the charge of intermediate particles passed from the mesh member into the compression chamber to agglomerate the intermediate particles of the charge into the block of usable make-up, with the block placed in the mold member.
Additionally, the invention includes a method for reclaiming make-up ordinarily supplied in block form by processing broken, unusable random-sized pieces of such make-up into a block of usable make-up of prescribed consistency, size and configuration, the method comprising: advancing the random-sized pieces of make-up into a processor juxtaposed with a compression chamber having first and second ends, the processor including a mesh member; prior to advancing the random-sized pieces of make-up into the processor, selecting a mesh size for the mesh member for reducing the random-sized pieces of make-up to intermediate particles no larger than the mesh size and capable of being agglomerated into the block of usable make-up of prescribed consistency; passing the intermediate particles from the processor into the compression chamber to establish a charge of intermediate particles; advancing a ram into the compression chamber to compress the charge of intermediate particles into a mold member having a size and configuration corresponding to the prescribed size and configuration of the block of usable make-up so as to agglomerate the intermediate particles of the charge into the block of usable make-up, with the block placed in the mold member.